1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tyer of adjustable length in which no knots are involved. Such tyers are useful in attaching one object to another fixed object such as for mooring a boat or for use in guy ropes for example for tents.
2. Acknowledgement of Prior Art
Traditionally ropes forming tyers for various purposes such as mooring ties, awning or tarpaulin tie downs, tent guy ropes, rope slings for rock climbing, etc., have been formed using a variety of sophisticated knots. It was, at one time, necessary for a person participating in certain sports or jobs to have an extensive knowledge and skill in tying knot suitable for particular purposes. Such knowledge and skill took considerable time to acquire. In so far as industry is concerned, the learning time may be regarded as nonproductive. In so far as recreation and sport are concerned, the learning time was sometimes ignored by some participants who, due to lack of such knowledge and skill, stood at risk of putting themselves or their equipment into danger.
Knots which are of particular importance in many sports are the slip knot, the bowline and knots about a length of rope which are tight and fixed in position under tension but which slide when not under tension. The slip knot is used for making adjustable nooses which may be reduced in size to tighten about an object if slipped in one direction and which may be enlarged if slipped in the other direction. A bowline is a fixed knot which does not slip- Various knots are used for the purpose of slipping when not under tension and being fixed when under tension.
Due to the problems involved in the art of knot tying, efforts have been made to provide easy-to-use gadgets attachable to ropes to replace knots in some fields. For example, the turnbuckle is a conventional means of tightening a guy rope. Various other means of tightening guy ropes are known, many of them involving loops of rope which are adjustable in length by means of slides which have one position in which they are slidable and another position in which they are position in which they are fixed.
Examples of gadgets which replace knots for various purposes are described and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,316,950 issued Apr. 20, 1943 to Goeller for TENSION ADJUSTER FOR CLOTHES LINES OR THE LIKE;
2,932,072 issued Apr. 12, 1960 to Pruchnow for ONE PIECE CORD HOLDER;
2,506,274 issued May 2, 1950 to G. C. Maxwell et. al. for ROPE FASTENING DEVICE;
4,105,349 issued Aug. 8, 1978 to Kupperman et. al. for MECHANISM FOR FORMING A LOOP IN A ROPE OR THE LIKE;
4,976,013 issued Dec. 11, 1990 to Wax for ROPE-TYING DEVICE AND METHOD;
4,414,712 issued Nov. 15, 1983 to Beggins for LINE FASTENING DEVICE; and
5,020,192 issued Jun. 4, 1991 to Gerlach for ADJUSTABLE TIE DOWN APPARATUS AND METHOD.
These referenced U.S. patents are exemplary of many devices which have been proposed to reduce the need for knot tying.
Although a very great number of such devices have been proposed the need remains for a simple, inexpensive, multi-purpose device to alleviate the need for knot tying. Such a device should not only be extremely simple to use but should be quick to use in either fastening or unfastening. At the very least it should be quicker to use the device than to tie a knot. The present inventor had addressed this problem.